Fast charging battery pack and methods to charge fast

ABSTRACT

A fast charging battery system and method for charging battery systems can be applied to most battery types in use for electric vehicles (EVs), electronic devices, and wireless electrical machines. The system could employ industry proven battery charger systems and off-the-shelf electrical components (e.g., contactors, relay switches, semiconductor parts, DC-DC converters, and the like) to keep cost and complexity low. The system provides for two or more charging ports in the electronic device, such as an EV, that may be able to receive and recognize a charging type, such as charging voltage, current and the like, and provide directed charging to multiple battery sub-packs that make up the entire battery. By charging sub-packs in parallel, the charge time can be substantially reduced.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/537,336, filed Aug. 9, 2019, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to battery power systems and related methods. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a fast charging battery pack and methods for charging battery packs in a rapid manner. The battery packs may be used, for example, in electric vehicles, electronic devices, wireless electrical machines and the like.

2. Description of Prior Art and Related Information

The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.

The high power density and long cycle life of lithium-ion cells have made them broadly employed in electrical/mechanical systems such as electric vehicles (EV), mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, and wireless electrical machines such as hand drills and lawn mowers. For example, Tesla S 85D vehicle is built with a battery pack consisting of 7,104 Lithium-ion cells. Fast charging of battery cells has always been the goal to improve the system operation availability. Various fast charging technologies have been implemented, significantly reducing the time to charge the cells. However, the cost and complexity of state-of-the-art fast charging battery systems (e.g., DC Fast Charge for EVs) are still relatively high in comparison to standard charging technologies (e.g., 120V & 240V AC charging) that may take many hours to fully charge cells.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, schematic diagrams of an exemplary EV battery pack 100 having sixteen modules 112 and equipped with one charge port 102 is shown. The modules 12 are divided into four sub-packs 110, each having four modules 112. A power management device 104 and battery management system (BMS) 106 may be connected as known in the art. In FIG. 1A, the modules 112 may be connected in series, while in FIG. 1B, the sub-packs 110 may be connected in parallel, while the modules 112 within each sub-pack 110 are connected in series. In some embodiments, a DC-DC converter 108 may be used to ensure each sub-pack 110 outputs the same voltage.

As such, it is desirable to have a fast charging battery system and methods that are lower in cost and complexity than current state-of-the-art fast charging technologies. Such a system could be applied to most battery types in use for EVs, electronic devices, and wireless electrical machines. The concept would employ industry proven battery charger systems and off-the-shelf electrical components (e.g., contactors, relay switches, semiconductor parts, DC-DC converters, and the like) to keep cost and complexity low.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the EV can be equipped with multiple charge ports and when two or more of the provided ports are selectively used simultaneously to recharge the EV battery, the time required to reach full charge is reduced. The power management (PM) system has options, for example, if only one charge plug is plugged in, the system recognizes the input and delivers the appropriate charging current to the entire battery pack, and, if two or more ports are connected, the power can flow, in parallel, to separate modules to charge them simultaneously, thus reducing overall charging time.

In another embodiment, the multiple charge ports equipped on the EV can be compatible with various types of charge plugs (e.g., Level 1, Level 2, DC fast charging, and the like) and the same type or different type of charge plugs may be selectively used at the same time to recharge the EV battery pack. The power management system has options to recognize the input plug type and delivers the appropriate charging current to the entire battery pack (comprising separate modules) when one port is connected, and if two or more ports are connected, the appropriate power can flow, in parallel, to separate modules to charge them simultaneously, thus reducing overall charging time.

In some embodiments, all the separate battery charger units employed may start and stop their respective charging cycle at the same time as one another; or any combination of the battery charger units employed may start and stop their respective charging cycle at a different time relative to one another.

In another embodiment, during battery pack normal discharge usage, any of the modules may be reconfigured by the power management system to be electrically disconnected from the battery pack as deemed desirable for improved operation of the battery pack and/or the vehicle or device equipped with said battery pack.

In another embodiment, the charging station has multiple charge outlets (e.g., cords and plugs of one type—Level 1, Level 2, DC fast charging, and the like—and/or different types; pantograph charging systems; wireless charging systems) to facilitate service to each individual EV equipped with two or more charge ports. Existing public EV charging stations may have multiple charge plug types (e.g., one Level 2 and one DC Fast Charge) for each stall, however, only one of the plugs can be used at a time. An individual charging station typically can service two or more stalls, so one charge plug from each stall can be used to charge an EV having multiple charge ports. However, this would cause a problem for another EV arriving at the unoccupied stall to find that its charge plug is already being used. Embodiments of the present invention propose a solution to this problem, where the charging station can provide power to multiple lines at each stall, for each EV.

In some embodiments, multiple charge cords/plugs for Level 1, Level 2, and DC fast charging types may be combined into one unit or are presented as separate units.

In some embodiments, multiple charge cords may be combined into a single unit, where the single unit can include multiple male plugs on one end thereof, such as multiple 120V plugs, multiple 240V plugs, or the like. On the opposite end, the single unit can include a specialized plug, or a standard EV plug, adapted to deliver power supplied on each of the charge cords to multiple on-board chargers, permitting charging of the sub-packs of an EV battery in parallel. This results in multiple charge cords being provided in a more organized, bundled manner, thereby minimizing a tangled mess and safety hazard for this specific application.

In another embodiment, the EV may have two or more AC chargers on-board to enable the use of multiple AC charge plugs (e.g., Level 1 and/or Level 2) simultaneously. Alternatively, the EV may have only one AC charger on-board and any additional AC charge plugs used would employ AC chargers not equipped on the EV since they undesirably take up space and add weight to the EV.

In another embodiment, with two or more chargers plugged in, the EV can accept a predetermined length of charge time input by the user and proceed to optimize the charging process to get the most amount of charge to the battery pack, for the given length of time, with the specific plug types being used (e.g., two Level 2 plugs and one Level 1 plug), while ensuring the individual modules have equal voltage at the end of the charge time to sustain long-term battery pack life.

In another embodiment, with multiple charge plugs used for charging, if the charge process is ended while some of the individual battery modules have not reached full state of charge and their voltage is less than the voltage of the main battery pack, then the individual battery modules may be kept electrically unconnected to the main battery pack until the voltage of the modules and the main battery pack are at an equal state of charge.

In some embodiments, all the individual battery modules may have direct electrical connection to negative ground, or alternatively, may be electrically connected to negative ground via a switch which can optionally be set to electrically disconnect the respective individual battery modules from negative ground.

In another embodiment, the user may optionally set the EV (with multiple charge plugs connected for fast charging) to be able to reduce the fast rate of charge so as to not incur a higher cost levied at specific time of day for the large amount of electricity power consumed during the charging period.

In practice, the home owner or public charging station may need to draw power from an electrical energy storage system (e.g., Tesla Powerwall battery, Tesla Powerpack battery, or the like) because the electrical grid may not able to deliver the large amount of power needed to fast charge multiple EVs at the same time. The Powerwall/Powerpack battery would serve to provide local reserve power, and a buffer for the electrical grid, to meet the power spike in usage demand when multiple EVs are charging concurrently. The Powerwall/Powerpack battery may be recharged via the electrical grid at an acceptable rate of power consumption while the EVs are being charged and/or when no EVs are being charged. Therefore, in some embodiments, power can be provided to the battery of the EV by an electrical energy storage system. In some embodiments, the electrical energy storage system is operable to be recharged via the electrical grid at an acceptable rate of power consumption while one or more EVs are being charged or when no EVs are being charged.

Embodiments of the invention may include various steps as set forth above. The steps may be embodied in machine-executable instructions which cause a general-purpose or special-purpose processor to perform certain steps. Various elements which are not relevant to the underlying principles of the invention such as computer memory, hard drive, input devices, have been left out of the figures to avoid obscuring the pertinent aspects of the invention.

Alternatively, in one embodiment, the various functional modules illustrated herein, and the associated steps may be performed by specific hardware components that contain hardwired logic for performing the steps, such as an application-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”) or by any combination of programmed computer components and custom hardware components.

Elements of the present invention may also be provided as a machine-readable medium for storing the machine-executable instructions. The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, flash memory, optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, propagation media or other type of machine-readable media suitable for storing electronic instructions. For example, the present invention may be downloaded as a computer program which may be transferred from a remote computer (e.g., a server, a cloud service) to a requesting computer (e.g., a client) by way of data signals embodied in a carrier wave or other propagation medium via a communication link (e.g., a modem or network connection, Wi-Fi or other wireless means). The computer program may be used to allow a user control of, and/or to monitor the battery and the charging process.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a battery charging system comprising at least two ports for receiving charging power; at least two battery sub-packs; a power manager detecting at least one detected port, from the at least two ports, receiving charging power; and a plurality of switches configured to provide power from the at least one detected port to each of the at least two battery sub-packs, wherein when the at least one detected port is a first detected port and a second detected port, at least two of the at least two battery sub-packs are charged in parallel from the first detected port and the second detected port.

In some embodiments, the at least one detected port receiving charging power includes at least a first detected port and a second detected port.

In some embodiments, the plurality of switches alternate the system between a first phase and at least a second phase, wherein the first phase connects selected ones of the first and second detected ports to a first selection of the at least two battery sub-packs and the second phase connects selected ones of the first and second detected ports to a second selection of the at least two battery sub-packs, where the first selection is different from the second selection.

In some embodiments, the switching between the first phase and the second phase provides substantially even charging between the at least two battery sub-packs.

Embodiments of the present invention further provide a method of charging a battery with a battery charging system comprising separating the battery into at least two battery sub-packs; detecting whether power is provided at each of at least two charging ports; switching one or more of a plurality of switches to provide power that is received at one or more of the at least two charging ports to the at least two battery sub-packs; when more than one of the at least two charging ports receive power, charging at least a first and a second one of the at least two battery sub-packs in parallel with each of the at least two charging ports receiving power; and accepting, from a user, a predetermined length of charge time input and optimizing a charging process to get the most amount of charge to each of the at least two battery sub-packs.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a method of charging a battery with a battery charging system comprising separating the battery into at least two battery sub-packs; detecting whether power is provided at each of at least two charging ports; switching one or more of a plurality of switches to provide power that is received at one or more of the at least two charging ports to the at least two battery sub-packs; when more than one of the at least two charging ports receive power, charging at least a first and a second one of the at least two battery sub-packs in parallel with each of the at least two charging ports receiving power; drawing power from selected ones of the at least two battery sub-packs when a charge process is concluded resulting in at least one of the at least two battery sub-packs having a voltage lower than the selected ones of the at least two batter sub-packs; and connecting the at least one of the at least two battery sub-packs having the voltage lower than the selected ones of the at least two battery sub-packs to the selected ones of the at least two battery sub-packs once their voltages are substantially the same.

Embodiments of the present invention also provide a method of charging a battery with a battery charging system comprising separating the battery into at least two battery sub-packs; detecting whether power is provided at each of at least two charging ports; switching one or more of a plurality of switches to provide power that is received at one or more of the at least two charging ports to the at least two battery sub-packs; when more than one of the at least two charging ports receive power, charging at least a first and a second one of the at least two battery sub-packs in parallel with each of the at least two charging ports receiving power; and receiving power from multiple charge lines of a charging station, the charging station providing a plurality of charge lines usable on a single electric vehicle.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1A illustrates a conventional simplified schematic diagram of an exemplary EV battery pack having 16 modules, series connected, and equipped with one charge port;

FIG. 1B illustrates a conventional simplified schematic diagram of an exemplary EV battery pack having 16 modules, series and parallel connected, and equipped with one charge port;

FIG. 2A illustrates a simplified schematic diagram of an exemplary EV battery pack having 16 modules, series and parallel connected, and equipped with 2 charge ports with one charger selectively connected as shown;

FIG. 2B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 2A with both chargers of the same type (Level 2) selectively connected as shown;

FIG. 2C illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 2A with both chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the charge cycle, where each charger is a different type (Level 2 and Level 1);

FIG. 2D illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 2A with both chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the charge cycle, where each charger is a different type (Level 2 and Level 1);

FIG. 3 illustrates a simplified schematic diagram of an exemplary EV battery pack having 16 modules, series and parallel connected, and equipped with 4 charge ports with one charger selectively connected as shown;

FIG. 4 illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 with two chargers of the same type (Level 2) selectively connected as shown;

FIG. 5A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 with two chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the charge cycle, where each charger is a different type (Level 2 and Level 1);

FIG. 5B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 5A with two chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the charge cycle;

FIG. 6A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 with three chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the charge cycle, where each charger is the same type (Level 2);

FIG. 6B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 6A with three chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the charge cycle;

FIG. 7A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 with three chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the charge cycle, where two chargers are Level 2 and one is Level 1;

FIG. 7B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 7A with three chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the charge cycle;

FIG. 7C illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 7A with three chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase C of the charge cycle;

FIG. 8A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 with three chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the charge cycle, where one charger is Level 2 and two are Level 1;

FIG. 8B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 8A with three chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the charge cycle;

FIG. 8C illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 8A with three chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase C of the charge cycle;

FIG. 9 illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 with four chargers selectively connected as shown, where each charger is the same type (Level 2);

FIG. 10A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 with four chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the charge cycle, where three chargers are Level 2 and one is Level 1;

FIG. 10B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 10A with four chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the charge cycle;

FIG. 11A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 with four chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the charge cycle, where two chargers are Level 2 and two are Level 1;

FIG. 11B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 11A with four chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the charge cycle;

FIG. 12A illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 3 with four chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase A of the charge cycle, where one charger is Level 2 and three are Level 1;

FIG. 12B illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 12A with four chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase B of the charge cycle;

FIG. 12C illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 12A with four chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase C of the charge cycle; and

FIG. 12D illustrates the simplified schematic diagram of FIG. 12A with four chargers selectively connected as shown for Phase D of the charge cycle.

Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.

The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description wherein illustrated embodiments are described. It is to be expressly understood that the illustrated embodiments are set forth as examples and not by way of limitations on the invention as ultimately defined in the claims. 

1. A method of charging a battery with a battery charging system, comprising: separating the battery into at least two battery sub-packs; detecting whether power is provided at each of at least two charging ports; switching one or more of a plurality of switches to provide power that is received at one or more of the at least two charging ports to the at least two battery sub-packs; when more than one of the at least two charging ports receive power, simultaneously charging at least a first one of the at least two battery sub-packs with a first one of the at least two charging ports receiving power and a second one of the at least two battery sub-packs with a second one of the at least two charging ports receiving power; and accepting, from a user, a predetermined length of charge time input and optimizing a charging process to get the most amount of charge to each of the at least two battery sub-packs.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein power is provided to at least a first detected port and a second detected port.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising alternating the battery charging system between a first phase and at least a second phase, wherein the first phase connects selected ones of the first and second detected ports to a first selection of the at least two battery sub-packs and the second phase connects selected ones of the first and second detected ports to a second selection of the at least two battery sub-packs, where the first selection is different from the second selection.
 4. The method of claim 3, providing substantially even charging between the at least two battery sub-packs.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein different power levels are provided to at least two of the at least two charging ports.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: drawing power from selected ones of the at least two battery sub-packs when a charge process is concluded resulting in at least one of the at least two battery sub-packs having a voltage lower than the selected ones of the at least two batter sub-packs; and connecting the at least one of the at least two battery sub-packs having the voltage lower than the selected ones of the at least two battery sub-packs to the selected ones of the at least two battery sub-packs once their voltages are substantially the same.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving power from multiple charge lines of a single charging stall of a charging station, the single charging stall providing a plurality of charge lines usable on a single electric vehicle, electronic device, or wireless electrical machine.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving power from multiple charge lines bundled together to form a single power line from a single charging stall at a charging station.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling an electric vehicle, configured with the battery, to reduce a rate of charge so as to not incur a higher cost levied by a utility provider at a specific time of day for the amount of electricity power consumed during the charging period.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein power is provided to the battery by an electrical energy storage system.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the electrical energy storage system is operable to be recharged via an electrical grid at a rate of power consumption while the battery is being charged or when no battery is being charged.
 12. A method of charging a battery with a battery charging system, comprising: separating the battery into at least two battery sub-packs; detecting whether power is provided at each of at least two charging ports; switching one or more of a plurality of switches to provide power that is received at one or more of the at least two charging ports to the at least two battery sub-packs; when more than one of the at least two charging ports receive power, simultaneously charging at least a first one of the at least two battery sub-packs with a first one of the at least two charging ports receiving power and a second one of the at least two battery sub-packs with a second one of the at least two charging ports receiving power; and drawing power from selected ones of the at least two battery sub-packs when a charge process is concluded resulting in at least one of the at least two battery sub-packs having a voltage lower than the selected ones of the at least two batter sub-packs; and connecting the at least one of the at least two battery sub-packs having the voltage lower than the selected ones of the at least two battery sub-packs to the selected ones of the at least two battery sub-packs once their voltages are substantially the same.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein power is provided to at least a first detected port and a second detected port.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising alternating the battery charging system between a first phase and at least a second phase, wherein the first phase connects a selected one of the first and second detected ports to a first selection of the at least two battery sub-packs and the second phase connects the selected one of the first and second detected ports to a second selection of the at least two battery sub-packs, where the first selection is different from the second selection.
 15. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving power from multiple charge lines of a single charging stall at a charging station, the single charging stall providing a plurality of charge lines usable on a single electric vehicle, electronic device, or wireless electrical machine.
 16. The method of claim 12, further comprising enabling an electric vehicle, configured with the battery, to reduce a rate of charge so as to not incur a higher cost levied by a utility provider at a specific time of day for the amount of electricity power consumed during the charging period.
 17. The method of claim 12, wherein power is provided to the battery by an electrical energy storage system.
 18. A method of charging a battery with a battery charging system, comprising: separating the battery into at least two battery sub-packs; detecting whether power is provided at each of at least two charging ports; switching one or more of a plurality of switches to provide power that is received at one or more of the at least two charging ports to the at least two battery sub-packs; when more than one of the at least two charging ports receive power, simultaneously charging at least a first one of the at least two battery sub-packs with a first one of the at least two charging ports receiving power and a second one of the at least two battery sub-packs with a second one of the at least two charging ports receiving power; and receiving power from multiple charge lines of a single charging station, the single charging station providing a plurality of charge lines usable on a single electric vehicle, electronic device, or wireless electrical machine.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising enabling an electric vehicle, configured with the battery, to reduce a rate of charge so as to not incur a higher cost levied by a utility provider at a specific time of day for the amount of electricity power consumed during the charging period.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein power is provided to at least a first detected port and a second detected port and the method further comprises alternating the battery charging system between a first phase and at least a second phase, wherein the first phase connects a selected one of the first and second detected ports to a first selection of the at least two battery sub-packs and the second phase connects the selected one of the first and second detected ports to a second selection of the at least two battery sub-packs, where the first selection is different from the second selection.
 21. The method of claim 18, wherein power is provided to the battery by an electrical energy storage system.
 22. The method of claim 18, wherein at least one charger device of the battery charging system is on-board an electric vehicle.
 23. The method of claim 18, wherein the battery is on an electric vehicle and the electric vehicle is free of charger devices on-board the electric vehicle. 